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The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is being termed as a game-changer for the whole of South Asia. The $46 Billion project is China’s biggest overseas investment ever and is surely going to bring a lot of stability and prosperity to this region. Under the CPEC agreement, a new proposal has been passed which will allow Pakistan and China to cooperate and work together for advancements in the field of Space and Technology.
A China-Pakistan Economic Corridor forum was held on Karamay in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur on the 11th and 12th of August. The two-day forum was attended by a total of 300 officials and representatives from China as well as Pakistan. A number of issues were brought up before the participants including city-to-city cooperation, industrial connections and youth exchange programs. In this forum, Ahsan Iqbal, the Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reform of Pakistan, proposed a space technology cooperation program, in order to further improve the relations between the two neighbouring countries and increase their efforts for space and technology. The proposal was unanimously adopted at the end of the forum.
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In his proposal, he stated that this new cooperation in Space and Technology will not only drastically improve the relations between the two countries but also be instrumental in the development of their space programs. He also said that he wanted to see both the countries launch a joint space mission programs with astronauts from both the countries working together.
Ahsan Iqbal stated that
“The Corridor is a fusion of multiple developments in the global, regional, bilateral and domestic contexts. The ultimate objective is peace, prosperity and well-being of the people of the two countries, the region, and the world.”
He further included,
“The global economic landscape has changed dramatically. The main drivers of this change had been technology, trade liberalization, freer capital movements, advances in communication and transportation infrastructure and creation of cross-border supply chains.”
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The CPEC is a development megaproject between Pakistan & China and is the result of Pakistan’s incredibly long and strong relationship with China. Our country has had friendly relations with China since 1950 when Pakistan became one of the first countries to recognize People’s Republic of China. Since then, this relationship has gotten better and better; and has resulted in the Economic Corridor project. This project is will run about 3,000 km from Gwadar to Kashgar and is expected to be completed over a period of several years. Apart from the obvious transportation infrastructure, it’ll also provide Pakistan with telecommunications and energy infrastructure and there is also a massive coal project underway to help solve Pakistan’s energy crisis.
Source: Dailytimes
